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The Role Of Socialism In Upton Sinclair's The Jungle

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Upton Sinclair’s novel, The Jungle, portrays the plight of immigrants in the meatpacking district of Chicago. The idealistic American Dream seems to be that of a fiction novel as Jurgis Rudkas loses his way in the corrupt streets of Chicago. Although, Upton Sinclair reveals that it is not the fault in America, but the faults of capitalism that is the source of pain for immigrants. The Jungle, in nature depicts the harsh realities of immigrant life, however it is fictional in that Upton Sinclair shapes the outcome of the novel and where the blame should be placed for the horrific events of Jurgis Rudkas new life. Consistently Upton Sinclair uses socialism as the quintessential answer to the survival of the fittest economy of the United States. …show more content…

The forceful and persuasive nature of the novel is very compelling to sympathize with immigrants when typically they are seen as less for not being American. This momentum would last him some time, however he would not achieve the same success as a writer again. Simply, The Jungle is irreplaceable in its effect on American society; informing the people to the conditions of immigrant workers, the ideals of socialism, and the unsanitary meat in the factories. This was achieved through the description of the winters, the tragic loses, the deconstruction of capitalism, the blame for turmoil, and Jurgis Rudkas new life purpose through the socialist party. Seen throughout the novel, Upton Sinclair’s bias makes the novel truly unique and contributes to its success, even if it was not the success he desired. He would continue to write several novels, most of which use the same rhetoric in favor of socialism. As for Sinclair, he believed the socialist party was not just a happy ending to a political fiction novel, but could be the answer to the plight of immigrants and those suffering under capitalism. The Jungle outlines the harsh realities of life and the toll it takes until the enlightenment brought by socialism. Though socialism is not as popular today, the ending of the novel would bring any reader relief in that, at least for one immigrant, the suffering might end and that all the suffering had a purpose. Socialism was the answer for Upton Sinclair, Jurgis Rudkas, and other Americans, however, it was never the answer for

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